The Relationship Remedy

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matt. 7:7-8
God is a relational God. He desires a close, intimate relationship with the ones He calls His own...a relationship free from fear, anger, stress, arguments...free from everything but vulnerability and love. So, is it any wonder that the same "oneness" He desires between Himself and us, is the same "oneness" He desires for us to have in our relationships with one another? After all, this "oneness" is the very essence of Jesus' ministry here on this earth as seen in John 17:21 - that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Yet, sometimes this "oneness" seems impossible. Let's face it, this is the real world. This is the place where life gives us a swift upper-cut, without an apology. Friends disappoint us. Family members refuse to speak to us. Husbands no longer "love" their wives and vice versa. Bosses become infuriated with employees, and employees turn on each other with a vengence.

Yep, relationships here are difficult and sometimes, down-right distressing.

That's why I find it quite interesting that Christ would sandwich verses about asking, seeking and knocking (at the beginning of this blog) smack dab in the middle of one of His discourses about relationships. Hmmm...

In the first part of the chapter, Christ deals with judging others and how you can't see clearly to help another person out of their sin, while knee deep in your own. He addresses more relationships, squeezing in these verses about seeking Him, and then finishes off with the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. By the way, I have to keep reminding my children that it doesn't say, Do unto others as they have done unto you!

I guess I've always thought about Matthew 7:7-8 as a complete section of their own...standing by themselves to meet my every request. Yet, if you put them in the context they're written in, Christ seems to be implying that even in the best relationships, rocky times occur. He implies that relationships can be difficult. Yes, some relationships can really try your patience. Yes, some of them hurt like nobody's business. BUT Christ doesn't leave us hanging on the edge of the cliff of despair. There IS an answer, and it's through asking Him to heal those wounds and show you your own shortcomings. It's in praying for the other person or people involved to allow God to heal and change them, just as He is healing and changing you. It's in seeking to find God's will for your life regarding them - whether that means continuing to build a close friendship or to remain an acquaintance. It's in knocking at heaven's door over and over and over again, until you finally get His answer.

Now, you might say, "But God doesn't know my family. He doesn't know how hard it is to live with her/him. He doesn't realize how hard I've tried to get along with them, and they keep pushing me farther and farther away. He doesn't realize how hurt I am and how I feel as if I'll never recover from their wounding." On the contrary, He knows all of those feelings and even more, AND He knows your family. As a matter of fact, He knows ALL the relationships you are involved in right now and how they will turn out - how they will grow you...and make you more like Him, if you let them.

Ask Him for help in your relationships. Seek Him to find His will and knock until your knuckles are sore, glorifying God in your waiting and proving to the world that God, truly, sent Jesus to be its Savior.

We need You, Jesus, to be Lord of our relationships. Help us focus more on You, than we do on the problem people in our lives. Help us to ask, seek, and knock until we get an answer...and then respond to what we have heard. Thank You, Lord, for Your remedy for our relationships. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.